What would it take for you to switch mobile phone platforms?

iOS user here - a truly practical and relevant feature, which is why I am thinking about P20 Pro because of Leica camera lenses.

Apple going out of business. Bye.

I'd use iOS if it was cheaper and just a little more open in general.

I'm probably gonna make the jump over to iPhone next time I upgrade. It seems more secure and their phones seem to be supported much longer. Android doesn't currently have any exclusive features I care about either.

price. i'm not paying what apple asks for an iphone. i can't justify it. £700 is the starting price for the iPhone 8. the X starts at £1,000. that's the main thing for me. my last two phones cost ~£280 and my current one £500.

if i were to switch to iPhone i'd be leaving behind the countless apps/movies/albums/books i've bought through Google. i'd need to start all over again. also i'm not sure how well the iPhone connects between Windows. my phone syncs everything over chrome to my PC (history/bookmarks etc). i haven't really looked into it but if i can somehow get Safari synced with Chrome/Firefox/Edge that'd be cool. I just hope i don't need to buy a Mac because again the price is completely insane for them. I'd love to own one but i feel my money is far better spent on building a custom desktop.

if i did get an iphone it wouldn't be my main phone (because of reasons above until i had at least grown my library of apps etc) and there's no way i'm paying £700-1000 for a secondary phone.

also i'm not 100% a fan of the iPhone X design. the notch doesn't bother me but i don't like the stainless steel, huge camera bump, and how thick it is.

rosetherosiest said:

I'd use iOS if it was cheaper and just a little more open in general.

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yeah this.

Well if my 6s breaks and I can't afford a repair, I'll go for a cheap android until I can buy an iphone again

My 4s lasted like 6 years tho and

I switch back and forth all the time. Right now I'm back to Android, missing a bit of ecosystem stuff and Homekit, but gaining NFC, LDAC Bluetooth, Google Assistant, better password manager integration into the OS and of course, better notifications.

The ability to select default apps on iOS. That's the reason I left.

iPhone supporting Android, removing notch, reintroduce headphone jack, and less expensive.

TI92 said:

what would it take for you to switch to Android?

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Unless there is someone else creating a new OS, nothing. I really dislike Android.

I would be on Android right now if it wasn't for iMessage

iOS opening up. It's not happening and I'll never go back to it because of that.

When Apple starts selling middle class phones for 179€ I'm in. So never.

Can't.... I treasure the ability to open .apk file

I don't have any real issue with iOS, given how I actually use my phone, but my big issue with iPhone's (and high end Android flagships whilst were at it too) is value for money on the hardware. Entry level Android flagships are just make way more economical sense.

Also, the lack of headphone jack is a sticking point too, especially when you take into account no stereo speakers either. Worst of both worlds. (My bad, misinformation).

I guess if I couldn't afford iPhones anymore or Apple went bankrupt.

Or if another platform rose that focused on good paid software, simplicity and privacy.

No interest in Google's stuff.

put iMessage on Android and I'd leave before you could say jmon

my phone dying and cheapest phone being an iphone


so never

iOS user here - I would Switch if the companies started treating products they sell more seriously by using custom hardware than standard Qualcomm SoCs, by actually supporting the hardware by software updates and if Google stopped gathering so much data about me.

Currently smartphoneless but planning on purchasing an iphone in the near future and I really like the design of the Note 9 (no notch great screen, S pen, etc..) but software/OS updates on the android side seem very flakey. It doesn't appear you can count on 4 years or so of updates like you can on the iOS side. I've got a 4 year old iPad Air 2 thats still great and receiving updates. I want a device that expensive to get 4-5 years of OS updates with android devices it seems like your lucky to get a year or 2 of OS updates.

They stop making android phones, and all the old ones stopped working

I tried everything and loved Windows Phone. It's dead. Android is not working out for me so far. So I'll be stuck to iOS; primairly because of the lack of crashing so far.

Build a reliable phone and give it support during lifetime of the phone and I'll be there. The only party delivering now is Apple :/

apple would have to become an open platform

Zool said:

I tried everything and loved Windows Phone. It's dead. Android is not working out for me so far. So I'll be stuck to iOS; primairly because of the lack of crashing so far.

Build a reliable phone and give it support during lifetime of the phone and I'll be there. The only party delivering now is Apple :/

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Lol. Completely wrong. But you can have your opinion

Proper small phones.

Im an IOS user, but my phone is handed to me by my employer so I haven't paid a dime for it. What I do know is that I would never ever pay between 700-1000 dollars for a phone, never. I use it for calling, texting, payment and surfing and nothing else.

So when it comes to changing platform? I do prefer IOS, but if I lost my job and phone, then I would go for a cheaper Android one since I have no dependency on any specific smartphone feature.

Default apps, more open environment, an app drawer, cheaper, usb-c, and some other stuff I can't think of at the moment.

Maybe if they had a nice mobile plan like Project Fi too.

I don't have any particular love for Android or Samsung, I just wouldn't buy anything made by Apple unless there was no other alternative

I'm on iOS but I would switch if Android has/is:

1. Closed platform for security reasons.

2. OS support, currently most phones get 2 OS upgrades before it's done.

3. Better optimisation

Android user, and I would say never. Unless Google starts doing something bad.

I have spent money and I have grown used to the Android environment by now. If there is a phone with a design I don't like, such as the curved screen nonsense for Samsung, I could simply get another Android phone from another maker.

Nothing. I ain't blowing more than 300 on a phone.

BladeoftheImmortal said:

Lol. Completely wrong. But you can have your opinion

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I have a Nokia 8 and apps keep crashing (like Instagram, but also Slack, apps seem to forget their logins and phone calling quality is messed up.

Also, what is up with the ringtones and alerts? I just cannot get it right. There seem to miss a setting.

I want to love it, but it is breaking the experience for me.

Only reason I'd ever switch from Android is if they stopped producing Android phones.

Mr Swine said:

I'm on iOS but I would switch if Android has/is:

1. Closed platform for security reasons.

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I. Uh. Ah. But. Wut

iOS to fundamentally change alot or for a third system to pop up that isn't DOA.

iOS would have to let me -

• Change default applications, and reroute all mapping API calls to an app of my choice.
• Install applications with no central signing authority from complied code without requiring a third party device.
• Permit in-app purchases that do not use Apple payment gateways.
• Implement a user accessible file system that's not a dumpster fire.
• Make Safari handle downloading in a competent fashion.
• Change how notifications work.
• Make changing wi-fi network in the UI *significantly* easier.
• Include a meaningful on device privacy mode for photos.
• Be available on a smaller, high-end device.
• Have obtainable administrator keys for the device.

I am a very long way from ever using iOS.

I've spent quite a bit on the Google Play store, so the only real way I'd even think about leaving that platform is if those purchases carry over onto the App Store. Obviously this isn't an Apple/Google thing and it's a not an expected thing either. I feel like I did my research and have hedged my bets with Android over iOS a number of years ago... and there's nothing to suggest I picked wrong (for my preferences/tastes) yet.

The one exception to this would be if the iPhone comes out with a built in controller like the Xperia Play (RIP. Absolutely MAINED that phone until 2 years ago) or the Moqi i7 (would get but no google services).

TI92 said:

Wanna elaborate?

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Sure.

For me IOS just works. It does everything i want in the way i want. I'm still on a Iphone 5 and i'm only going to get a new phone now. Even being on a older phone its still fast and has no problems. Just to clear something up, i'm not a apple worshiper. There product are so expensive. Software from apple just works for me.

With android i have to customize it to work how i want it to work. Than there is also update support for phones. Some android phones are nice but Android just doesn't feel that its for me.

The reason for my dislike is because whenever i work with Android phones it's either slow, has so much clutter or has weird crashes. The other reason has to do with the way how i am. When something works for me ill stick with it unless there is significant improvement in tech or if something is improved in how i use my phone.

1. Plug and play - iTunes is shit and I can't stand it on my iPad. Give me a folder that I can drag files into while I plug it in with a USB cord.

2. Notifications suck on iOS. There's no way to clear every notification at once. You can clear some all at once but no clear all. And they should bunch multiple notifications from the same app into one. Also no way to get rid of the red number on an app except by opening the app. Android does notifications a shit ton better.

3. No multiple selection on alot of apps. If you can it isn't intuitive. On the mail app I don't know how to select multiples. I try holding down with a long press on one to get a multiple selection to come up but it doesn't work that way and I don't know how to do it if that isn't the way. Gallery app doesn't either. I'm going to go through every photo individually to delete photos. You're a trillion dollars company apple. Quit being stupid as fuck.

4. Price. Your phones aren't as great as you think they are and they aren't worth the price of admission.

I could change if a company ever dominates both hardware and software at the same level Apple does and throughout an extensive ecosystem. Probably never.

Alternatively, I would change if I'm broke af.

Mr Swine said:

I'm on iOS but I would switch if Android has/is:

1. Closed platform for security reasons.

2. OS support, currently most phones get 2 OS upgrades before it's done.

3. Better optimisation

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I'd like to piggyback on this awesome post and just add:

4. Exactly the same apps as available on Appstore.

And no I'm not a diehard Apple supporter. Very unimpressed with them in recent years, but there's some things I'd rather not give up, despite how I think there are better designed Android phones out there, and that android has some nice software features that I'd like on ios too.

I own so much Apple shit now, which means I'm fully locked in, so nothing.

I have multiple HomePod and an Apple Watch which would be nice looking bricks if I swapped away from Apple.

An independently developed operating system without Google's and Apple's involvement. A good physical keyboard would also be a must.

BladeoftheImmortal said:

1. Plug and play - iTunes is shit and I can't stand it on my iPad. Give me a folder that I can drag files into while I plug it in with a USB cord.

2. Notifications suck on iOS. There's no way to clear every notification at once. You can clear some all at once but no clear all. And they should bunch multiple notifications from the same app into one. Also no way to get rid of the red number on an app except by opening the app. Android does notifications a shit ton better.

3. No multiple selection on alot of apps. If you can it isn't intuitive. On the mail app I don't know how to select multiples. I try holding down with a long press on one to get a multiple selection to come up but it doesn't work that way and I don't know how to do it if that isn't the way. Gallery app doesn't either. I'm going to go through every photo individually to delete photos. You're a trillion dollars company apple. Quit being stupid as fuck.

4. Price. Your phones aren't as great as you think they are and they aren't worth the price of admission.

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Notifications are getting a lot better in iOS 12.

As for the mail app, how is pressing edit at the top and then selecting multiple messages not intuitive?

For photos you tap select at the top and then tap on the photos or tap and drag to select a whole row or more.

"it just works" is so irritating.

Security flaws, malware, privacy violations, etc.

Personally I think both formats or ecosystems are pretty much the same, and as good as each other, even if I've never used iOS. Familiarity and ease of use is the important factor.

So in my case I started on Android and I have things set up there. I know how to use it well, and I enjoy the seamless transition to a new phone. I'm sure I went iOS instead, I'd be largely fine after some early teething problems.

But why switch? Android is perfectly fine, there's no reason to go Apple. If I'd started on Apple, then I'd just stick with them and not go Android. The only reason I'd switch is if the ease of use, familiarity and easy transition from one phone to another disappeared on Android. Whether due to complete change of structure, going out of business, or anything else. I'd do the same in the reverse

Until then I'll stick with what I've got and what I know